Fear Toxin Test Number One
by StrawberryFields4EverAndAlways
Summary: Just before the events of Batman Begins, Dr. Jonathan Crane has just completed his fear toxin. Now all he needs to do is test it out before he sends a sample out to Ra's Al Ghul. As it turns out, he has a test subject ready. She's a cold-blooded killer, and they've...met before. Oneshot. No pairings.


Disclaimer- I don't own anything except Rose. All other characters, locations, and objects were created by Bob Kane and other assorted people at DC Comics, with these particular versions being the creations of Christopher Nolan.

%%%

It was done. After weeks of sneaking around and staying in his laboratory all night, Dr. Jonathan Crane had finally done it. Using some flowers that grew exclusively in the Himalayas, along with a complex blend of chemicals, he had created a hallucinogenic neurotoxin that would surely induce a fear response in whoever inhaled it.

However, he wasn't quite certain of its effectiveness. The equations and chemical formulas could only take him so far. What he needed to do was test it out on a living subject. If he was to send an untested sample of the formula to his employer with the League of Shadows, and it did not work, Crane would look like an idiot. And Dr. Jonathan Crane did not like looking like an idiot. So he needed a test subject, and it just so happened that all the headlines in Gotham City were pointing to the perfect choice.

People were calling it the grisliest murder Gotham had seen in many years. A Mrs. Rose Simon, age twenty-seven, had taken a kitchen knife to her husband and her two young children as they slept one night. The police stated that it was complete overkill, the man, boy, and girl all reduced to barely-recognizable, bloody, mangled masses of flesh.

Once confronted, a blood-soaked Rose Simon laughed quietly and said the stabbing was much too addictive and she simply couldn't stop herself until well after the victims were dead. Additionally, she had no qualms about proclaiming that she'd do it again in a heartbeat should she get the chance. Thus, it was hardly a shock to anyone that her lawyer was pushing for an insanity plea. In fact, Rose Simon had a consultation with Dr. Crane scheduled for the following afternoon.

Rose Simon would be the fear toxin's first test subject. Absolutely. Not only would her pre-existing mental health problems make the results of the experiment more interesting, but Crane had a good reason for making sure Simon was sent to Arkham Asylum and not prison. They had…met before, one might say. But before the meeting, Crane had to put the finishing touches on a mask that would make some of his more orthodox colleagues squirm.

%%%

The following day, Dr. Crane settled down in one of Arkham's interrogation rooms and made sure the new contents of his briefcase were in proper working order. However, he didn't have long to wait, since a guard, from the county jail, he assumed, poked his head into the room and announced that Mrs. Simon could be brought in whenever Crane was ready.

"No time like the present," Crane said in a soft voice, giving the man a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. When the guards brought Rose Simon in, Crane was immediately struck by the fact that her hair was gone. "She kept tearing it out in big chunks," a guard said when he followed Crane's gaze. "Until her scalp would bleed. Doctors at the jail thought it would be easiest to shave the rest." Mrs. Simon now only had dark stubble, a stark contrast to the shoulder-length waves she'd had before.

Even handcuffed and in a prison jumpsuit, Rose Simon managed to look dignified. Her blue-eyed glare as she was led into the chair opposite Crane's was chilly, her eyes cutting like shards of broken glass.

"You may leave us alone, please," said Crane politely to the guards, the firmness in his tone making it very clear that they were not wanted there. When they hesitated, Crane added, "If there are fewer people in the room, Mrs. Simon will be more at ease. And she doesn't strike me as a woman who is good to be near when she's not at ease." Crane accompanied these not-so-subtle hints with a pointed look at the men and they backed away.

As soon as they were alone, Mrs. Simon stared down Dr. Crane and said, "Can we just skip over the formalities? This isn't exactly an ideal reunion." She looked around the all-white room with ill-concealed derision.

Crane nodded and said brusquely, "Of course. And I don't believe I'll have to tell you this, but there is no real need for any sentimentality, either."

Simon grimaced, as if sentiment was something unpleasant she would find stuck to the underside of her shoe. "Well, Dr. Crane, I'm sure you're wondering why I killed them. They were too attached to me. They bored me and offered me no practical use. And so I killed them, ridding myself of an unnecessary burden. And it was fun, too. Analyze that, why don't you?" She looked away from him, smirking in the general direction of the room's sole window. "People have so much blood in them…"

Crane glanced up from his notes. This would be the time, the little voice in his head insisted. But no, despite the voice's impatience, Jonathan Crane often liked to play with his food a little. Pushing all errant thoughts of his connection to the woman, he pressed on. "Your lawyer wants to submit an insanity plea. What are your thoughts on this?"

Mrs. Simon shrugged. "Better than prison, probably. I don't think I'd do well in prison. And it's not like I'm right in the head. And neither are you, for that matter."

Crane sniffed haughtily and scribbled something in his notes. "We established this a long time ago, if you'll recall."

"I recall." The smug look on her face was telling him that she was sure she was winning this. This fact alone made him decide it was time.

Crane opened his briefcase and pulled out the mask. Without saying anything, he tugged it on over his head. The eyeholes weren't perfect yet, but he could at least see out of them. Mrs. Simon was glaring at him again.

"If this is you trying to scare me, Crane, you ought to know that you really need to try harder than that." As he expected, Mrs. Simon was far from impressed. No matter.

Crane shook his head, smirking behind the mask. "Of course. I figured that someone who just murdered her husband and children in cold blood would need a stronger constitution than that. Allow me to up the ante." He pulled the small atomizer out of his case. "Now, I am not going to apologize. Not only will this help you, but it's all in the name of science, Rosie." The old nickname slipped out before he could stop it.

Before Mrs. Simon could say anything else, Dr. Crane pushed whatever few emotions he had away and sprayed his brand-new toxin right into the face of the girl he'd known for so many years. Mrs. Simon coughed and Dr. Crane sat back in his chair to watch her descend rapidly into even deeper madness than she already had.

%%%

"Jonathan, come here. Will you promise me something?"

"Of course, Mom."

"Promise me that, should Rosie get into trouble when you're both grown up, you'll do anything you can to help her."

"Why?"

"Because she's your little sister and you love her. You know that."

"Alright, Mom. I promise."

"Good. Now let's get you to school. Did you study for your science test, Jonathan?"

"I always do."


End file.
